Last season teams playing Pompano Beach (Fla.) Ely faced a tough dilemma. Throw to one side of the field and take your chances with Rivals.com's top-rated cornerback in the country in Patrick Johnson or head over to the other side of the field where talented 2009 prospect Michael Carter was waiting.

Evidenced by some early offers, Carter more than held his own in the secondary. Recently, Carter added to his offer list to include the Miami Hurricanes.

"The letter came in today around 7:00 in the morning," Carter said of the Miami offer. "I was very excited. I was really very excited and interested in Miami because growing up Clinton Portis and all those cats went to the NFL and I really didn't think that they'd come after me."

The Hurricanes have now shot to the top of Carter's list of college choices along with the University of Minnesota. Minnesota not only has the advantage of being Carter's first offer but also has some family history.

"My cousin Tyrone Carter he played for Minnesota and I went to most of his games and watched him play," he said. "I don't really know the school now but I used to love walking around the school and the locker room when I used to go visit."

Carter is not someone who will be walking into the recruiting process uneducated. The 6-foot-0 cornerback had the benefit of watching one of the most highly recruited players in the nation go through the process last year in Patrick Johnson.

"[Johnson] was telling me don't early commit or don't go to a college and then change your mind real fast because that will come back to haunt you," he said. "I'm gonna go on all of my college visits and camps and things like that."

At this point, Miami and Minnesota sit atop a list of interested schools that includes West Virginia, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Wake Forest and Rutgers.